In response to a asked by (Piratepartei) on the topic of tax returns and fines in April, finance minister (DP) responded last week that €3,511,409 of fines, or “astreinte,” have been imposed on individual taxpayers. Reasons include not submitting a tax return or not submitting requested documents.
In just a few years, this figure has risen from €2.2m (in 2018) to €3.5m (in 2023).
Backes, in her response, noted that “the mentioned figures cover several tax years, and are mostly made up of fines that have been imposed due to the failure to submit the tax return.”
Regarding the amount of surcharges, or “opschlag,” imposed by the tax authorities on individual taxpayers, this figure has dropped from €1,198,589 in 2018 to €138,353 in 2021, said the finance ministry.